Mountain biker clears Boxford Trails for benefit of all

If you’re deep in the Boxford woods and see a man on a mountain bike with a chainsaw slung across his shoulder, have no fear.

It’s just mountain bike enthusiast Dave King passing through to clear the trails of fallen tree limbs and debris.

Leland Greeley/tritown@wickedlocal.com

If you’re deep in the Boxford woods and see a man on a mountain bike with a chainsaw slung across his shoulder, have no fear.

It’s just mountain bike enthusiast Dave King passing through to clear the trails of fallen tree limbs and debris.

At the annual May meeting of the Boxford Trails Association/Boxford Open Land Trust (BTA/BOLT), King was recognized as the 2013 ‘Volunteer of the Year’ for his tireless maintaining and clearing of the hiking and horse trails across town.

It all started when King was taking a hike last July and ran into one of the BTA/BOLT Directors, Priscilla Welch, out on a trail. After a conversation about the need for keeping the trails clear, King decided to pitch in and help the environmental preservationists in any way he could.

King’s motivation stems from the frustration he has experienced after having to routinely stop because of fallen trees obstructing his path on the trails. King then took it upon himself to solve the problem. From pictures he found on the Internet, he constructed a unique backpack, which allows him to carry his chainsaw into the deeper areas of Boxford’s trails.

“Hiking with the chainsaw was the most time consuming part of my work,” said King, “but it’s a lot faster and easier now with the backpack.”

Since his encounter with Welch, King has worked on over a dozen projects, clearing fallen trees from trails throughout the extensive Boxford network of trails.

“The most time consuming project I’ve done took me about an hour,” said King. “There were three trees that I had to clear from the trails, all a good distance apart. Most projects take me about 15 to 20 minutes.”

Along with finding projects on his own, BTA/BOLT also notifies King about fallen trees and trails that need to be cleared.

As a mountain biker, another reason King is more motivated to clear the trails is due to the close proximity of other hiking systems. The Boxford trails, he says, are an important link to larger mountain biking areas in the region.

“[The trails] in Boxford are a bit short for mountain biking,” said King, “but they provide a great link to bigger areas for mountain biking” such as Bradley Palmer State Park.

King’s favorite time on the trails is in autumn when the weather is cool and the leaves are changing colors. “The worst time [on the trails] is summer when it’s just too humid and buggy,” said King.

King’s work, along with programs like BTA/BOLT’s new initiative “Boxford Explored”, should entice more residents to see the trails for themselves.

“Most people don’t realize how lucky we are to have these beautiful trails and how pretty well connected they are,” said King.

Out on the trails, King stressed that all users [hikers, bikers, equestrians] need to cooperate in another way by avoiding the muddy pathways during the wetter seasons.

In the near future, King plans to work with BTA/BOLT to divert a few of the trails around some of the wetter areas. For King, it’s an ongoing process — it’s not about the award or recognition he receives.

“It’s great to help out. I enjoy being on the trails,” King said. “I don’t mind being called to any trail and I’m always on call.”